Barnstorming Brown delivers the speech of his career in passionate final plea to save the Union... so why wasn't he in charge of the No campaign from the start?
- Sky News anchor Kay Burley calls Yes Scotland campaigner a 'k**b' live on air after he tried to hit her cameraman with a stick
- How the fate of the UK will be decided by 350,000 voters who can't make up their minds: As Scotland prepares to go to the polls, why do so many not know what to do?
Gordon Brown today delivered the speech of the referendum
campaign, urging voters to have the 'confidence' to say No to
independence. The former Prime Minister tore into Alex Salmond,
insisting Scotland does not belong to him or any other politician,
declaring: 'Scotland belongs to all of us.' Speaking without notes, he
urged anyone with doubts about the risks of separation to vote No to
save the Union, adding: 'What we created together, let no nationalist
split asunder.' The speech could become seen as one of the defining
moments of the campaign, and reignite questions about whether Mr Brown
should have fronted the
Gordon Brown roars into life: On the eve of historic vote, ex-PM gives the speech of the campaign so why wasn't he in charge of the No campaign from the beginning?
- Former Prime Minister launches most passionate defence of the union yet
- Destroys Alex Salmond's attempt to 'own' Scotland as a country
- Brown bellows: 'What we created together, let no nationalist split asunder'
- Extraordinary speech reignites talk that he should have led No campaign
- Poll shows 60% of Scots think Darling has done badly, but Brown 50%
Gordon
Brown today delivered the speech of the referendum campaign, urging
voters to have the 'confidence' to say No to independence.
The
former Prime Minister tore into Alex Salmond, insisting Scotland does
not belong to him or any other politician, declaring: 'Scotland belongs
to all of us.'
Speaking
without notes, he urged anyone with doubts about the risks of
separation to vote No to save the Union, adding: 'What we created
together, let no nationalist split asunder.'
The
speech could become seen as one of the defining moments of the
campaign, and reignite questions about whether Mr Brown should have
fronted the No campaign from the start.
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Gordon Brown delivered his most
passionate speech of the referendum campaign today, urging people to
have the confidence to vote No
Mr Brown's
extraordinary performance was in marked contrast to the more understated
delivery of Better Together's leader Alistair Darling. The two men
became bitter enemies towards the end of their time in government, but
the campaign to save the Union has brought them together
Mr
Brown addressed hundreds of UK supporters at a community centre in
Glasgow, standing shoulder to shoulder with his former Chancellor
Alistair Darling, leader of the Better Together campaign, and Scottish
leaders from Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
In
a direct challenge to Mr Salmond's claim that to vote Yes is the
patriotic thing to do, Mr Brown said: 'Tell the Nationalists, it’s not
their flag, their culture, their country or their streets.
'Tell them it’s everyone’s flag, everyone’s culture, everyone’s country and everyone’s streets.
'And
tell them that our patriotic vision is bigger than nationalism; we want
Scotland not leaving the UK, but leading the UK, and through leading
the UK, leading in the world.'
Mr
Brown's extraordinary performance was in marked contrast to the more
understated delivery of Better Together's leader Alistair Darling.
The
two men became bitter enemies towards the end of their time in
government, but the campaign to save the Union has brought them
together
Tell the Nationalists, it’s not their flag, their culture, their country or their streets
Ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown
A
YouGov survey at the weekend showed that among people in Scotland, 60
per cent of people thought Mr Darling had performed 'badly' in the
campaign, compared to 51 per cent who said the same of Mr Brown.
He sent out a plea to undecided voters to reject the 'risks' of independence.
'To
those people that have still got doubts and are wavering, people who
were thinking about voting Yes yesterday but could be persuaded today,
let us tell them about the real risks,' he said in an address to
supporters.
'This is not the fear of the unknown - this is now the risks of the known.
'An
economic minefield where problems could implode at any time, an
economic trapdoor down which we go from which we might never escape.'
In a heart-felt speech, Mr Brown tore into nationalists and Alex Salmond, insisting Scotland does not belong to them
The former
Prime Minister has been one of the stand-out performers of the No
campaign, although some argue he should have been given a more high
profile role sooner
Mr Brown has addressed dozens of
rallies and public events in recent days, after opinion polls suggests
the No lead was narrowing
A YouGov survey at the weekend showed
that among people in Scotland, 60 per cent of people thought Mr Darling
had performed 'badly' in the campaign, compared to 51 per cent who said
the same of Mr Brown
Mr Brown stressed that the vote is 'for all time' and cannot be undone or redone.
'If
you have any doubts about the future unresolved, any questions
unanswered, any risks unexplained, if you don't know, then you have to
vote 'No'.
'But if you, like me, believe the way forward is not separation but justice through cooperation, then I say to you today:
'Hold yourselves with dignity. Have confidence. Our values are the values of the people of Scotland.
'Have confidence. Our stronger Scottish Parliament meets the needs and aspirations of the Scottish people.
'Have
confidence. Our future lies in cooperation and sharing, and not in
separation and splitting apart. That unity is our strength. Have the
confidence to stand up, be counted and say for Scotland's sake: not now,
not this time, not the risks, no thanks.
'Have confidence to stand up and be counted and say, for Scotland's future, 'No'.'
Invoking a patriotic spirit to defend
the Union from independence, Mr Brown said: 'What we created together,
let no nationalist split asunder'
He received a long standing ovation from the hundreds of people in the Community Central Hall in Glasgow
There was a small group of Yes
campaigners outside the Community Central Hall, with police guarding the
entrance while Mr Brown was in the building
TRAINEE SURGEON SPEAKS OUT AGAINS SNP 'LIES' ON THE NHS
Vicki Greig, 28, told how her own life and her mother's had been saved by the NHS
A
trainee surgeon launched a passionate defence of the NHS against threat
posed by independence, saying she had been spurred into action by the
'lies' of Alex Salmond's SNP.
In
a highly-emotional speech at a rally in Glasgow, Vicki Greig, 28, told
how her mother had only been able to walk her down the aisle when she
tied the knot on Sunday thanks to the expert NHS care she received to
treat breast cancer.
Miss
Greig condemned SNP claims about the privatisation of the NHS by London
were 'dishonest, unethical and wrong', and had been made while Mr
Salmond was secretly planning £500million in in cuts if he wins
independence.
Miss
Greig told how she is training as an oral surgeon in Glasgow, and of
her own personal debt to the NHS for saving her own life, and that of
her mother Moira.
'I
was born in an NHS hospital, like most of you here,' she said. 'I was
in and out of A&E countless times as a child. I was treated in an
NHS hospital when I had a heart condition.'
She said that like most people she has the NHS to thank for 'saving the life of a loved one'.
She added: 'My mother was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2004.
'Thanks
to the expert care she received on the NHS, and being a part of an
experimental drug trial, funded by the NHS, my mum was there to walk me
down the aisle, with my father and I, when I got married on Sunday.'
Miss
Greig married Rolls Royce engineer Ian McNeull, 28, in a humanist
ceremony in Aberdeen on Sunday. He has voted Yes in the referendum.
Tearing into the SNP, Miss Greig added: 'Let me be absolutely clear, I have never done anything like this in my life.
'I
would not be here today if it wasn't for the lies I have been told by
the SNP. They have been dishonest, they've been unethical and they have
been wrong.
'They've
acted in a way which was in direct contrast with all of my professional
values and everything I vowed to uphold when I graduated.
'They
have attempted to manipulate the most vulnerable people in our country,
those reliant on the NHS, patients & carers alike by preying on
their fears.
'They told lies about privatisation to frighten people into voting to leave our friends and family across the UK.
'And the whole time they were doing it, they were hiding half a billion pounds of cuts for our NHS.
'We deserve better than that. Our vulnerable deserve better than that. Scotland deserves better than that.'
Mr
Brown said the risks independence brings include uncertainty about
currency, the threat of a default on debt, rising prices in the shops
and the threat to the million jobs dependent on UK trade, he said.
He
added: 'We will face a massive financial hole that cannot be made up
with even a fraction of the oil revenues, a massive financial hole that
means the risk to the NHS does not come from us - it comes from the
policies of the SNP.
'We're
aware now of the risks but to those that think Scotland will be somehow
more progressive under the nationalists - let us tell them of our
vision for the future of Scotland.
'Not the Scotland of insults and abuse and threats and recriminations.
It
is the Scotland of Adam Smith and John Smith, the Scotland of stability
and compassion, the Scotland of comradeship and community is bigger and
better than what we have seen.'
He added: 'We have had no answers. They do not know what they are doing. They are leading us into a trap.'
The
passionate, heart-felt and loud speech was in marked contrast to the
image of Mr Brown as Chancellor and particularly Prime Minister, when he
appeared uncomfortable in his own skin.
He
has spoken to thousands of people at dozens of events in recent days,
taking the fight to Mr Salmond in a way that no-one else in the No
campaign appears able to do.
Yesterday Labour leader Ed Miliband faced questions about whether Mr Brown is now the defacto leader of the No campaign.
Mr
Miliband admitted: 'He's a very important part of this campaign, I
think he has done a very good job. All of us are setting out that
choice.
'I
think all of us are doing our job in getting through to Labour voters. I
think Gordon is playing his role, Johann Lamont is playing her role,
Alistair Darling, all of us are setting out that big choice that we
face.'
In the early stages of the campaign Mr Brown and Mr Darling were not even on speaking terms.
But
after a shock poll 10 days ago put the Yes campaign ahead, Labour
turned to its big beasts in a bid to win back the working-class vote.
A new Survation opinion poll for the Mail shows that the race is still too close to call.
The
headline results show that 44.1 per cent of Scots plan to back
independence, up from 42.4 per cent in a comparable poll from last week.
Support
for a No vote remains virtually static at 47.7 per cent, with 8.3 per
cent undecided. Overall, this points to a final result of 52 per cent No
and 48 per cent Yes.
But alarmingly for the No camp, the poll indicates a shift back to Yes among Labour voters, who may decide the outcome.
While
91 per cent of those who voted Conservative in the 2011 Holyrood
elections are backing No, just 60 per cent of Labour voters plan to do
the same.
It
suggests Mr Brown has had some impact in winning over Labour voters,
but it is not clear if it is enough to secure a victory for the No
campaign.
In
a direct plea to the voters who have still to make up their minds, Mr
Brown added: 'Tell the undecided, the unpersuaded, those who know the
risks and those who think the SNP are progressive, tell them we have a
vision for the future of Scotland.
'A
vision that will bring a divided Scotland back together again. Not a
Scotland when the eyes of the world are upon us is a Scotland of
intimidation, threats, insults, abuse and recriminations.
'I
know the Scotland of Adam Smith and John Smith is better and bigger
than this. A Scotland, yes, with a strong Scottish Parliament for
fairness. And yes, strong for equality across the UK.
'It is not for ourselves alone that we fight; we do not seek prosperity, security and strength for just us and no one else.'
As Mr Brown spoke, hundreds of people gathered in another part of Glasgow for a rally supporting the Yes campaign
Mr
Brown went on: 'Everywhere, at every time, at every level, including
within the UK, our instinct, our desire, our demand, and our dream for
social justice is not through separation, but for a world of social
justice.
'This
is the dream that we can live for and will never die off. This is the
great cause that is worth fighting for and will endure.'
English
comedian and Better Together activist Eddie Izzard opened the
proceedings with a call for Scottish unity, whatever the outcome of the
referendum, but insisted saying No was not a negative response.
'Bob Geldof said: 'No can be a positive word if it is saying no to a negative thing'.
'Glasgow was the first city in the world to honour Nelson Mandela, giving him the freedom of the city.
'Scotland
said No to apartheid - no to a negative thing - no to poverty and pain,
no to the separation between rich and poor and we can, Scotland, say no
to this separation from the United Kingdom.'
Mr
Darling was led into the hall, packed with hundreds of No supporters,
by a lone piper and stood alongside Scottish Labour leader Johann
Lamont, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Scottish Liberal
Democrat leader Willie Rennie.
One supporter shouted 'we love you' as Mr Darling stood to speak.
He
said: 'Imagine if you woke up on Friday morning to find that the
country had voted for separation, how will you feel?' There were boos
and cries of 'sick!' from the audience.
ALISTAIR DARLING: This is our only chance to save the UK - we have to seize it for the sake of our future
Plea: Alistair Darling has made a last-ditch appeal to Scottish voters to oppose independence in tomorrow's referendum
This
is it. Here we are. After two years of campaigning, criss-crossing the
length and breadth of Scotland, only 24 hours remain before we make the
biggest political decision of our lives.
The
only question to ask yourself before you go to the polling booth is do
you know what will happen if Scotland decides to break away from the UK.
I certainly don’t.
Day
in, day out, I have asked Alex Salmond questions. I have asked him what
currency Scotland will use, who will pay Scotland’s pensions, if there
will be a new border, if Scotland will be a member of the European
Union. And if Scotland will be a member of Nato.
He
has no answers. The campaign trail is littered with unanswered
questions. Mr Salmond bluffs and blusters, he make assertions. And now,
for the third time in this campaign, this week we find he has been
deceiving us on, of all things, our National Health Service. It has been
some saga.
First
of all, he told us David Cameron could privatise the health service in
Scotland. That is not true. Responsibility for health care in Scotland
is completely devolved to the Scottish parliament. Mr Salmond is, in
fact, the only person in Scotland who could privatise the health
service.
Then
we find the Scottish parliament is spending less than its budget
allocation on health, so as health spending goes up in the rest of the
UK, in Scotland it goes down.
Scotland’s
spending priorities are decided at Holyrood, nowhere else. They could
improve the NHS; they could invest more in the NHS; but they don’t.
Instead, they have spent less on health in Government than their
counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
And
as if that wasn’t bad enough, we now find health boards throughout
Scotland are facing draconian cuts of around £450million. We were not
meant to know until Friday, the day after Scotland went to the polls,
but thanks to a leaked report we know now.
It is not a report drawn up by politicians, but by finance directors and Scottish Government officials.
How
dare Mr Salmond try to deceive us, to let us vote on a false
prospectus. But we should not be surprised. He has a track record.
When
asked if he sought legal advice on Scotland joining the EU, he said he
had. He spent taxpayers’ money going to court to stop the publication of
that advice and then we found it didn’t exist in the first place.
And
then, only last month, the Bank of England took the unprecedented step
of publicly denying SNP claims that they had discussed plans for a
currency union. The Bank said there had been no such talks.
I
have been accused of scaremongering. It is not scaremongering to tell
the truth. I don’t think it is scaremongering to ask questions. I think
it is my patriotic duty.
Every pensioner in Scotland deserves to know how their pension will be paid. They need to know it will be safe.
At
the moment, the UK guarantees the pensions throughout the UK. The costs
are spread across 60million people. If Scotland breaks away, Scottish
pensioners will be dependent on five million people in Scotland.
Debate: Mr Darling has repeatedly clashed with Alex Salmond over Scotland's plans for independence
Head-to-head: The two rivals were interviewed by Andrew Marr in Edinburgh on Sunday
In
the next few years, Scotland will have a bigger proportion of
retirement age inhabitants and fewer people working than in other parts
of the UK.
No matter how you look at it, the circle is hard to square. Where will the money come from?
Alex
Salmond has said the SNP would be willing to pay pensions to people
earlier if the UK breaks up. The independent experts at the Institute of
Fiscal Studies have said a separate Scotland would face extra cuts of
£6billion. That’s equivalent to nearly the entire pensions budget at
present – far less unfunded promises in the future.
Whatever decision is made tomorrow, there is no going back. It is irreversible. Whatever the outcome, we can’t change our minds.
I
hear people say this referendum is a battle between head and heart.
Well, believe me, my head says No. But my heart says No too. For
Scotland’s sake, for the sake of my children and their children.
Voting
No does not mean there will be No change. All three main parties have
pledged to deliver more powers for Scotland. It makes sense to give
Scottish people control over our own daily lives while relying on the UK
to secure the defence, prosperity and welfare of every citizen.
Down to the wire: The polls are almost tied in the independence referendum with just a day to go
Scots
have made a tremendous contribution to the UK’s success. We faced down
fascism in the Second World War, standing alone for many months; we
founded and built the most socially just health service in the world;
and the UK had the strength to withstand the financial crash that
crippled other countries.
If
we stay together, the NHS will be safer, our pensions will be more
secure, our schools, further education colleges and universities will be
protected and there will be greater employment opportunities for our
children and our grandchildren.
These are the issues I care about, and I believe the majority of Scots do too.
Most
serious businessmen and women in Scotland want to stay in the UK. That
is simply because they know what is best for business and what is best
for jobs in Scotland.
Scotland
sells twice as much to the rest of the UK as it does to the rest of the
world. Around one million jobs in Scotland are linked directly to trade
with the rest of the UK.
Passion: A pro-independence rally in central Glasgow today attracted a large crowd
Our
shipbuilders want to stay within the UK because they know the UK
Government will not commission ships in a foreign land. Our farmers want
to stay within the UK because they know their biggest market is in
England.
Our
manufacturers want to stay in the UK because anything getting in the
way of trade, such as borders and different tax regimes, is bad for
them.
Everyone’s
vote tomorrow is crucial. It’s not like a normal election, where it
only counts in your constituency. Scotland is one big constituency, so
every vote counts the same.
Don’t
let the Nationalists tell you otherwise. And don’t let them intimidate
you either. They’ll try and make out that somehow a No vote is a vote
against Scotland.
Over
the last few weeks, some of their extremists have been too eager to
throw around words such as ‘traitor’, ‘quisling’ and ‘slave’. Well, they
won’t bully me. Don’t let them bully you either.
I
don’t want anyone who wants us to stay in the UK to wake up on Friday
morning, to turn on the TV or the radio and realise they’ve forgotten to
act.
By
then, it will be too late. A single vote could decide this referendum.
One more for Yes than No and that’s it – the 307-year-old Union will
end.
There is no second chance, no rewind button, no point complaining we didn’t know. This is our only chance.
So please act. I’m not exaggerating when I say Thursday is probably the most important day of our democratic lives.
From
7am until 10pm, Scotland and the UK will be in limbo, and everything
which we have built over these past three centuries will hang in the
balance.
For the sake of future generations, we should vote No tomorrow.
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